Goodbye to a Forza Legend: Dan Greenawalt Bids Adieu to Microsoft

Dan’s 27-Year Adventure with Microsoft

Well, folks, it’s official! Dan Greenawalt, the chieftain behind the Forza Motorsport series and the mastermind at Turn 10 Studios, is hanging up his racing gloves after a staggering 27 years at Microsoft. Can you believe it? That’s more than a quarter of a century! From revving up the engines of Project Gotham Racing on the OG Xbox all the way back in 2001 to putting the pedal to the metal with the Forza franchise, Dan has been a rollercoaster ride of thrilling car chases and tire-squealing gameplay.

According to sources (let’s just say Trevor Williams from Playground Games spilled the beans), Dan decided it’s time to shift gears and retire. But worry not, he’ll stick around for a bit to play the wise old advisor while the new team gets themselves geared up. Thanks, Dan, for all those epic E3 moments—especially the ones where you rolled in with a supercar like a total rockstar. We salute you!

What’s Next for Turn 10?

Now, let’s talk shop! Microsoft is cooking up a big ole restructure that’s got fans buzzing—especially with Turn 10 and Playground Games merging into one big site of Forza magic! It’s like merging chocolate and peanut butter, folks, but with cars. This is all part of a bigger shake-up, which apparently means some jobs are being cut, with a reported 268 employees saying goodbye. Yikes!

Turn 10 had already taken a backseat as a support studio for Playground’s Forza Horizon after the recent reboot of Forza Motorsport, which had its fair share of bumps on the road. Former developer Fred Russell even mentioned that the original Motorsport series had a bit of a rough patch during all the Microsoft cuts, but hey, it’s not the end of the road yet! With Dan leaving, it’ll be interesting to see if the new team can navigate this transition without hitting too many potholes.

So, what’s next for Dan? Will he be zooming off to a quiet retirement on a tropical beach, or maybe launching a new digital race car line? Only time will tell! One thing’s for sure, though: the gaming community owes him a huge thanks for all the racing excitement he’s brought into our lives. Here’s to you, Dan! Enjoy the ride ahead!